Conference chair

Dr. Olivares is the current Chair of the International Conference for Algal Biomass, Biofuels and Bioproducts (AlgalBBB), which he has helped organize since its inception in 2010.

He is Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journals Algal Research and New Negatives in Plant Science (Elsevier Publishers). He is also a partner of the consulting firm Biologic Energy Partners, LLC. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Wilkes College, and his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Iowa State University.

Dr. Olivares recently retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory were he last served as Division Leader for the Bioscience Division. In this position, he provided strategic, technical and operational management for all activities within the Division. Major focus areas for the 150 staff within the Division included a long-standing efforts in biosecurity, biosurveillance, and public health security. New areas of growth included bioenergy and biome science. He also served as the Executive Director of the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts, a consortium of over 30 institutions awarded a $49M program by DOE-EERE along with $20M of cost share from industry and academia.

Previously he served in several program and technical management positions at Los Alamos National Laboratory, including Biofuels Program Manager and acting Division Leader for Chemistry. In these positions he was responsible for developing strategic direction for science programs, operations, and leading specific program development efforts. Dr. Olivares has extensive experience with private industry and serves as consultant for several small companies and government agencies. One of his passions is technology commercialization.